Remotely controlled weapon systems may be mounted on armored vehicles. A remotely-controlled weapon system is typically mounted on a rotatable turret that is positioned on the roof of a carrier vehicle. The system is typically controlled from within the vehicle or from a remote location. The remote control of the weapon system may include remotely controlling the rotation of the turret, raising or lowering the weapon on the turret, and activating the weapon. An optical system may be provided to facilitate viewing targets. In many cases the optical system is aligned with the weapon, such that it is directed in the same direction as that in which the weapon is aimed.
For quick reloading, small and medium caliber ammunition is usually provided in the form of an ammunition belt of linked cartridges that is fed into the barrel of the gun. Commonly, ammunition belts are stored in a container adjacent to the gun for convenient loading. Additional ammunition may be stored inside the carrier vehicle. Ammunition belts are sometimes provided in magazines.
When a belt of ammunition has been fully used up, it is necessary to feed the gun with a new belt of ammunition, sometimes under battlefield conditions. It is desirable to carry out this operation as quickly as possible in order to maximize the time that the gun is available for use and to minimize the exposure of personnel to enemy fire. Personnel manning the vehicle should preferably not have to leave the interior of the armored vehicle or expose themselves to the exterior of the vehicle.
Under battlefield conditions, the turret may be rotated at frequent intervals in order to aim the gun at various targets on the battlefield. Attempting to load an ammunition belt or a magazine into the turret while the turret is rotating may lead to damage incurred to the turret or to the ammunition, or may lead to injuring personnel manning the turret.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,507, entitled “Armored vehicles including a turret fitted with an automatic gun fed from cartridge belt sections packed in boxes”, discloses an armored vehicle having a rotatable turret and an automatic gun fed from cartridge belts which are packed in ammunition boxes. The armored vehicle includes an armored body, a rotatable turret, which is mounted on a roller track and is fitted with an automatic gun, and a feed mechanism for feeding the automatic gun with cartridge belt sections packed in ammunition boxes. The armored vehicle further includes an ammunition box guide, means for storing the ammunition boxes in the vehicle, means for maintaining the ammunition boxes in a position, and means to enable the removal of empty ammunition boxes. The ammunition box guide includes inclined rails and is adapted to slidably transfer at least two ammunition boxes, positioned behind one another, one in a waiting position and the other in a firing position, to the automatic gun for firing. The ammunition boxes are stored in a storing position and are engaged against the ammunition box guide by an operator of the vehicle. The operator further engages the cartridge belt section which is in the firing position into the feed mechanism, and secures the front end of the cartridge belt section in the waiting position to the preceding belt section which is already engaged in the feeding mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,333, entitled “Armored vehicle”, discloses an armored vehicle having a rotatable turret and a gun carrier mounted thereon. The vehicle further includes an armored body in which an opening is defined and a conveyor. A container reloading station is positioned at a horizontal slideway within the armored body. A container receiving position is positioned on the gun carrier, and is aligned with the container reloading station through the opening. The conveyor conveys magazine containers loaded with belted or unbelted cartridges, for firing, or empty containers for replacement. The magazine containers are conveyed between the reloading station and the receiving position through the opening when the turret and the gun carrier are set on an indexed position.